Cylinder feeding device for progressive washing machines



M. L. NEHER Oct. 13, 1953 CYLINDER FEEDING DEVICE FOR PROGRESSIVEWASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 6, 1947 IN VEN TOR.

M. L. NEHER Oct. 13, 1953 CYLINDER FEEDING DEVICE FOR PROGRESSIVEWASHING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 13,1953 CYLINDER FEE-DING DEVICE FOR PRO- GRESSIVEWASHING MACHINES MiltonL. Neher, Coral Gables, Fla.

Application-November 6, 1947; Serial No. '784,421

(Cl. GSH-1Q) 8 Claims. l

This invention relates to a continuous washer off the commercial typeand is more specifi directed to an improved; construction. agilpoinbination of washing cylinders and rotors and` the driving meansforsaidy cylinders.

In` machines of thislsind it always has )geen a problem to move. and.drive the Clothes washing cylinders from rotorto rotorininultierotorwashers, and'. wherein the .rotors @lo limily Q10-51M? at differentrotational velocities. The introduction of an extraction cycle brings ina rotor of high speed velocity and unidirectional in contrast toadjacent rotors which operate at relatively 10W speeds and may or maynot he unidirectional in operation,

It hasalso been the practice in the past to )ook the cylinders to therotors inftheir various washing, rinsing, extracting, drying or flufngstations. This required the alignment of rotors into certain.predetermined angular relationships to ia cilitate further looking ofthe cylindersA to the rotors after each advancement from stage to stageis performed.

The more modern practice in .horizontal Washers of these continuoustypes VKhas been to eliminate alignment requirements and to carry outthe entire washing cycle Without stopping the rotors or cylinders intheir progress through the machine. by virtue of the conoentrioallysymmetrical designs of the Acylinders .and 'by other improvements thatdirectly contribute to the operational phases of these kinds of washers.

Various means have been employed to pass and guide the cylinders alongthe lane of rotors and across the gaps between such rotors, and morespecifically to releasably connect or join the cylinders to therotorscontaining the same "after eachshift o f the rotors. This problempresented Vthe most diiculty during the displacements of the cylindersfrom s low s peed to high speed stages, and vice versa, it beingunderstood that periodic opposite oscillation orrotation ofadjacent-rotors complicates this transfer problem.

Various frictional means for cooperation loetween the rotors and thecylindersnested therein havebeen used such as tracks or ways made ofrubber, wood or other fairly -wear resisting materials of frictionalcharacteristics. But these tracks or ways wear through continued use,and also, continua-l subjection to water, soaps, water softeners, andwashing chemicals also affects the life and eliciency of the tracks andfways causingundesirable maintenance costs and equally costly shut downsof the washing units.

It is the main object of the presen-t invention to simplify thecontinuous washer rotor and cyl-in 2 der construction in such a manneras to, provide effective. cylinder revolving means adapted for long lifeandA eilicientoperaton lunder all normal conditions of operation incommercial types of Washers of this kind. Y `A lIt is anotherV object ofthe .invention t9 irl-trefv duce` .an arrangement for d g. the.Cylinders within the .rotors Whih has A A* apility'to tone down .orstep up the rotation .1 veleciiroi ,iis cylinders as. they rees betweenthe ,rotors from stage. to .stage weerga sach asiliagent voters areoperatingat widely different velocities' 0r irfl mv posite directions atthe time the cylinders vare be,- ing transferred.

other Objects including the reduction in mais: tenance and simplcityofdesign for low iirstoost and 19W Operatiflsico'st, etc," 'Shall all appaih the renewing gleaned 'description paying refer; ence to theaccompanying drawings il strating a preferred arrangementandcombinatifonnof ciel ments for carrying out the inherentcontributions of the present invention and forming a part/'of' thisspecification. i V

In the drawings:

Figk1 is a general diagrammatic layout of a continuous commercialwashmg' machine ern; bodying the newly designed Cylinder rotorcornbination which is adapted for 4enhancing the cylinders ,through themachine from stage' to stage and also performing the dual function Yofdriving each cylinder or group of cylinders in vthe'various stations ofoperationfin the washer;

Fig. 2 is a transverse Vertical cross sectional view taken through themachine along the line 2-2 in Fig. e1 to diagrammatically illustratecertain other details of construction and the genera-l arrangement ofthe variousmechani'sms Fig- -3 is a side elevational view of one of theimproved cylinders utilized in the washer andl as it appears when bodilyremoved from the rotors;

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross sectional View through one peripheral wallof the cylinder and sulstantially as seen along the line 4--4 in Figr;an

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a `modified washer construction illustratinganother arrangement wherein the cylinders pass through deadzones.comprising vfree Wheeling rotors, having no driv.- lng connection, thisrepresenting a meansv for transposing a cylinder Aunder `relativevelocity conditions between adjacent rotor sections.` The general layout`of the continuous washer installation mayhest be .understood byreferenceto Fig. 1 in the drawings andconsists of the washer l dividedinto compartments-"gf, 3, -4 ands,

3 together with loading and unloading stations 6 and I to be serviced bymeans of a continuous overhead track 8 leading from a cylinder loadingplatform 9 to the washer and away from the latter to a cylinderunloading platform iii.

The compartments 2, 3, 4 and 5 may or may not be divided into smallerdivisions to provide different Washing and rinsing stages for thecylinders but for the purposes of this invention and for the sake ofclarity such extra details have been omitted. Fig. 1 illustrates aplurality of rotors II, I2, I3, and I4 disposed in axial alignment andin the compartments 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively.

The individual washing cylinders are shown at I5-I5 throughout thewasher I and in the rotors II to I4, the entire group of cylinders beingarranged for endwise progress through the machine as may be broughtabout through suitable means such as a hydraulic ram I6 that iscontrolled by a hydraulic power cylinder I'I.

All of the rotors are supported for rotation upon situably mounted guiderollers I8 and I5 as seen in Fig. 2 with each rotor having a pluralityof oppositely disposed buckets 2E] and 2| arranged about their peripheryto scoop up the water from the baths provided in each compartment whereneeded. The liquid level is usually' maintained below the cylinders asat 22 in Fig. 2 so that the solutions may be independently segregatedwhile endwise movement of the cylinders I5 from compartment tocompartment can be accomplished freely.

The rotors II, I2, I3 and I4 are driven by means of belts 23, 24, 25 and26 connected with pulleys such as 2'I and 28 secured to drive shafts 29and 30, the various drives being independent and arranged for differentspeeds to carry out the washing cycle. As seen in Fig. 1, rotors Il andI2 may be revolved at 40 R. P. M. rst in one direction for a set timeand then in the other direction, either together or on oli-timeintervals. Rotor I3 constitutes the extraction cycle and is usuallydriven at relatively high speeds in one direction at a rate ofapproximately 600 R. P. M. Then the uiing and drying rotorA I4 is againrotated at slower speeds either unidirectionally or reversibly.

In carrying out the advance of the cylinders I5 through the machine fromstage to stage, the cylinders l5 have been designed to easily make thetransposition from one rotor to the next rotor without changing orinterfering with the rotor actuation and without reducing the relativespeeds of the rotors or bringing the same to a stop at changeoverintervals. In addition, the cylinders I5 have further been designed tocoact frictionally with the rotors for the purpose of driving thecylinders at rotor speeds, overrunning speeds in reversible rotoroperation, and to conveniently and efficiently make the transitionbetween rotors.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the main features associated with the cylinders I5which contribute to carry out the objects of this new arrangement andcoaction between rotors and cylinders. Each cylinder I5 is of theusualcylindrical sheet metal construction having a perforated body 3Iwith a loading door end 32 and a dead end 33, the door end carrying afriction pad 34, while the dead end carries an antifriction button 35.The cylinders are advanced through the contacting members 34 and 35under the action of the ram I6, and since the members 34 and 35 makeadjacent cylinders rotationally independent,

4 changes in the speed or direction of rotation of the individualcylinders through rotors or from rotor to rotor will not be affected.

Each of the cylinders I5 is provided with at least two frictionaldriving bands 36 and 31 annularly secured to the cylinder body 3I and atthe leading and trailing ends of the cylinder comprising the dead end 33and door end 32 of the cylinder. The interiors of the rotors are smoothbut their diameters are al1 alike and only slightly larger than theoutside diameters of the bands secured to the cylinders. The clearancebetween the rotors and bands is such as to permit lateral or endwisedisplacement of the individual cylinders and yet to provide suicientnormal irictional contact due to the weight of the cylinders andclothes, this action also being aided by any off-center loads in thecylinders which loads further act to increase the necessary frictionaldriving union between cylinders and rotors.

Interchangeability of the bands or replacement thereof may beaccomplished by securing the bands 36 and 3'I to the bodies 3l of thecylinders I5 by screws 38 or through other attachment devices.Furthermore, the bands may be varied in width to suit conditions ofoperation and to properly span the gaps between rotors as the cylindersare actuated lengthwise through may be advanced through the washer, andfrom rotor to rotor with each cylinder automatically converting itsrotational speeds from one rotor to the next rotor through thefrictional driving bands. Also, since the bands are spaced, each bandwill have a different reaction when the cylinder starts to span the gapbetween rotors, and the bands will have independent reactions totransmit to the cylinder to neutralize the cylinder speed during thetransition between adjacent rotors travelling at different rates ofrotation or in opposite directions.

It must also be understood that each band must support its shart of thecylinder load and that as the cylinder moves across the gap betweenadjacent rotors, the load distribution is' also transposed from the rstrotor toward the second rotor so that the second rotor graduallydominates as to the frictional driving action introduced to rotate thecylinder during this transition. This change from rotor to rotor may beinfluenced by using band materials of different coeicients of friction,but as shown in the drawings, both bands 36 and 31 are made of the samematerial.

Thus, with the use of smooth interior rotors,

throughout the washer and by banding the cyl-A inders in the mannerdescribed, smooth and efficient cyclic operation is possible in acontinuous commercial washer with little if any interruptions by reasonof the mechanism utilized for running the individual cylinders.

One modication contemplated in the construction disclosed and describedwill be to use a pair of dead or free wheeling rotors between adjacentlydisposed and variably driven rotors as shown in Fig. 5. This viewdiagrammatically illustrates rotors 4B, 4I, and 42 which are driven atdifferent speeds or reversibly by operation through belts 43, 44 and 45.A pair of dead or free wheeling rotors 45 and 4'I are mounted for freeand independent rotation upon rollers 48,-48 and 453-49, and operate indirect alignment with adjacently located driven rotors. Rotors 4ty andi411 each haveV at'l least one cylinder capacity and thusmay beconsidered as'snubbing the rota'- tional speeds of cylinders in. theirprogressthrough the washer or as activating the cylinder rotations, allas primarily determined by the speed and direction of` rotation of theadjacent drivenrotors. Since' the cylinders' also are free wheelingunder frictional restraint in each rotor, a dual action transition isaccomplished in the Fig. Washer` b-y the introduction. of free wheelingrotors.

Other changes and 'modifications are also contemplated in the'form4 ofthe invention shown and described as well' as in1 the .details oftheparts and the general design. All such. possible variations andmodifications shall, however be governed by the breadth and scope of thefollowing claims appended hereto.

l. A multiple cylinder washer arranged for continuous operation andhaving means to supply washing fluid to the cylinders therein comprisingat least two independently operable rotors disposed in axial alignment,clothes holding cylinders arranged for guided passage through each ofsaid rotors and therebetween, actuating mechanism to move said cylindersthrough said rotors, drive means to independently revolve each of saidrotors, and means to transmit the motion of said rotors to saidcylinders comprising at least one band on each cylinder disposed forfrictional contact with an adjacent interior surface of said cylinderguiding rotors.

2. A multiple cylinder Washer arranged for continuous operation andhaving means to supply washing fluid to the cylinders therein comprisingat least two independent rotors positioned in separated axial alignment,clothes holding cylinders arranged for endwise passage through therespective rotors and therebetween, actuating mechanism to move saidcylinders endwise through said rotors, drive means to independentlyrevolve each of said rotors, and cylinder drive means for frictionallytransmitting the motion of said rotors to the cylinders comprising atleast two bands carried by each cylinder in spaced relation to eachother and axially of said cylinder, said bands each being of a width tobridge the space between the axially separated rotors as said actuatingmechanism moves said cylinders through and between said rotors.

3. In a progressive cylinder washing machine having washing uid supplymeans for said cylinders, a tubular rotor supported for turning aboutits axis, a clothes holding cylinder having an external diameter tosubstantially fit the interior diameter of said tubular rotor, drivemeans connected to revolve said tubular rotor, and friction mechanism totransmit the rotary motion of said rotor to said cylinder comprising atleast one peripheral band on said cylinder having an outer diameterapproximately equal to the internal diameter of said rotor tofrictionally contact said rotor, said cylinder and rotor beingrelatively movable peripherally and axially.

4. A washing machine comprising a housing, washing fluid supply meansfor said housing, clothes washing mechanism disposed within said housingand comprising a series of independently operable rotors arranged inaxial alignment and each having their axial outer ends open, operativemeans connected for independently rotating said rotors, clothes holdingcontainers movably positioned adjacent each other within said rotors andalong the common axes thereof, and actuating means. arranged forengagement with at leastoneof said containersto move all containers.

axially through said rotorsl and therebetween through adjacent open endsthereof, and drive transmittingmeans to rotate said containers inl said:rotors respectively comprising bands surrounding ea'ch of saidcontainers and. adaptedfor frictional engagement within the interiorsur'l faces of4 said. rotors to frictionally transmit the rotativemotion of the rotors to said containers.

and means to convey said washing fluid to said containers 5. A. washingmachine comprising a housing, washing `fluid supply means for saidhousings;

' clothes'washing mechanism disposed within. said housing and comprisinga series of individually operable rotors arranged in axial alignment andeach having! their axial outer ends open, said: rotors'- being spacedapart axially with gapsv between th'e adjacentends thereof, operativemeans connected with said rotors to independentlydrivesuch rotors,clothes holding containers movably positioned adjacent each other withinsaidrotors and-alongthe common axes thereof, and inter'- mittentlyoperable actuating means arranged toengage at least one of saidcontainers and to move all the containers axially through said rotorsand therebetween through adjacent open ends thereof, and drivetransmitting means to rotate said containers in said rotors respectivelycomprising bands surrounding each of said containers and adapted forfrictional engagement within the interior surfaces of said rotors tofrictionally transmit the rotative motion of the rotors to saidcontainers, said bands each being of a Width that is greater than theWidth of the open gaps between the adjacent rotor ends, and means toconvey said washing iiuid to said containers.

6. A Washing machine comprising an enclosure, washing fluid supply meansfor said enclosure, and a clothes Washing mechanism disposed within saidenclosure and comprising a plurality of individually operablecylindrical rotors rotating upon a common axis and having their axialterminal ends open, operative means connected for independentlyrevolving said rotors, clothes holding cylinders movably positionedadjacent each other within said rotors and along the common axesthereof, and actuating means arranged to contact at least one of saidcylinders to move all cylinders axially through the rotors andtherebetween through adjacent ends thereof, and drive transmitting meansto rotate said cylinders in said rotors respectively comprising spacedbands carried by each of said cylinders and arranged for frictionalengagement with the internal surfaces of said rotors to frictionallytransmit the rotative motion of the rotors to said cylinders, andcoacting anti-friction means carried upon the adjacent axially arrangedends of the cylinders to reduce frictional Contact between saidcylinders comprising a pad on one cylinder and a button on the nextadjacent cylinder for anti-frictional contact with said pad, and meansto convey said washing fluid to said cylinders.

7. A washing machine comprising an enclosure, washing uid supply meansfor said enclosure, and a clothes Washing mechanism disposed within saidenclosure and comprising a plurality of individually operablecylindrical rotors rotating upon a common axis and having their axialterminal ends open, operative means connected for independentlyrevolving said rotors, clothes holding cylinders movably positionedadjacent each other within said rotors and along the common axesthereof, operable cylinder drive means connected with each cylinder andarranged for frictional surface contact with the interior surfaces ofsaid rotors respectively, and cooperative actuating mechanisms forbodily moving said cylinders through said rotors and therebetweencomprising an actuating unit to contact at least one of said cylindersto move all cylinders in said rotors, and coactive abutment memberscarried upon the adjacent Wall portions of the cylinders comprising apad on one cylinder and an'antifriction button upon the adjacentcylinder for contact with said pad of said one cylinder and means toconvey said washing fluid to said cylinders.

8. A washing machine comprising an enclosure, washing fluid supply meansfor said enclosure, and a clothes washing mechanism disposed within saidenclosure and comprising a plurality of individually operablecylindrical rotors rotating upon a common axis and having their axialterminal ends open, operative means connected for independentlyrevolving said rotors, clothes holding cylinders movably positionedadjacent 25 each other Within said rotors and along the common axesthereof, operable cylinder drive means connected with each cylinder andarranged for frictional surface contact with the interior surfaces ofsaid rotors respectively, and cooperative actuating mechanisms forbodily moving said cylinders through said rotors and therebetweencomprising an actuating unit to contact at least one of said cylindersto move all cylinders in said rotors, and coacting anti-frictionalabutment means carried by adjacent cylinders to separate the cylindersand to provide means to advance the adjacently disposed cylindersthrough the rotors and means to convey said washing fluid to saidcylinders.

MILTON L. NEHER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,220,308 Young Mar. 27, 1917 1,584,770 Hurd May 18, 19261,945,477 Cimarik Jan- 30, 1934 2,434,570 Leef Jan. 13, 1948

